New project priority system – what do you think?

Earlier this week I got it into my head to prioritize my get-done list in a new way. I can’t even tell you what I was thinking, or how the new categories came to mind, but I’ve been putting them to use and they’re having an interesting effect on my productivity, as well as my sense of satisfaction, so I share them here.

Very simply, here they are:

L = Love It.

“Love It” projects and activities are those things that you are quite happy and delighted to do, and furthermore, happen to intersect with the business projects that have the greatest impact on the future of our business. When you’re engaged in Love It projects, you know you’re doing what’s really important to you and your satisfaction soars. You could substitute the terms Love It with Purpose if you feel more comfortable with this designation in business terms. But try Love It for a week and see what happens.

N = Need It, or need to get it done

Need It activities or projects are also important to you, so you’re happy to do them, but they’re not so grand that getting them done makes you want to dance while you’re getting them done. Even so, you have a positive feeling about getting them done.

O = Obligation

Obligation tasks and projects have a heavy feel to them. They are important to include because they should reflect projects and commitments that you have already committed to in some way or another, or they may simply be part of your job description. Either way, you think to yourself that if you never had to put them on your get-dong list you’d be a happy camper.

When you wake up to your Obligation tasks you have an opportunity to start making different choices about the agreements you’ve made and projects you’ve taken on in the near and far future.

F = Fun, yes fun!

The day I made this new system up, I had something fun on my list of things to get done, and so included the category. Fun may or may not be important, and usually has little to do with your business, but you’ve no doubt that it’s 100% fun and something you want to get done.

Upon reflecting on the difference between my experimental prioritization categories, and the more familiar A, B, C  ways to prioritize activities popularized in the 1980’s, I got the sense that the A, B, C system is externally focused on the projects. Is it important, is it urgent, do I have to get it done or can someone else? It doesn’t take into account how you may feel about the tasks and projects. Perhaps this explains why many tasks and projects end up on a never-ending to-do list day after day after week.

I’ve noticed that this new system addresses not only what needs to get done, but what I really want to get done. There is a difference, as you’ll observe if you try it out. Furthermore – and this did surprise me – I was more drawn to get my Love It projects done first, whereas in the past I might have started with the Obligation projects. AND THEN, I found out that because I started with the Love It and Need It projects, I was often able to get to the Obligation projects, and the sense of obligation was significantly diminished. Interesting, don’t you think?

Are Your Marketing Practices Eco-Friendly?

While reading the opening chapters of The Triple Bottom Line by Andrew Savitz, I started thinking about the various service vendors that flood the email landscape with frequent, repeating marketing messages, and about the question of corporate and social responsibility. It occurred to me that bombarding the business and consumer environment with a continuous stream of (unasked for) marketing messages and materials is not environmentally-friendly, nor socially responsible.

By the way, I’m not talking about the big corporations here. I’m thinking about the small “service” business provider who fails to ask when you sign up for their newsletter or seminar if you want to receive 2-7 email notices a week about this, that and the other thing that you never expressed interest in.  The bigger companies know enough to ask if you want to receive other communications from them. You may have to uncheck a box to opt out, but the option is there.

Eco-friendly most often addresses the physical and natural environment. What about the mental environment? I’ve not talked to a single person who uses email to conduct business who is not feeling stressed out and crippled by the amount of email that they receive every day. As a matter of fact, it’s become such a pervasive productivity issue that I’ve started to conduct seminars to help people shake loose the pressure created by the never-ending onslaught of incoming email, inside the organization and out. But I digress here.

Following is my personal set of guidelines for socially responsible, environmentally friendly marketing behavior – for all of us.

For the sender:

• Keep your eye on reducing information waste (paper and human).
• No spam whatsoever, ever.
• Give us an option. If we ask for your newsletter, ask us if we want anything else, or don’t send it to us.
• Make your offer transparent. If we register for a free class with you, tell us if you’re going to send us an automated message everyday so we don’t forget. Heck go the extra step and give us an option. “Sign up here if you don’t need any reminders. Sign up here if you want reminders.”
• Don’t hand out your business cards and/or brochures just because we are sitting at the same table with you. Wait until we ask for it. (You know, the paper waste thing and all that.)
• Try an “on-demand” approach to marketing. Printers and book publishers are starting to do this, why not you?

For the recipient:

• Feel free to unsubscribe, without guilt, as soon as you’ve gotten what you want, and are starting to feel the pull of what you never asked for. Take it a step further and tell them why.
• Be aware of the emotional impact of some of these messages, and remind yourself that they’re designed to make you think you’ll not make it without their special, special offer.
• Feel free to use the delete key and trash all unasked for messages right away.
• Ask yourself if you’re getting value from what you receive, or if you’re feeling manipulated. If the latter, unplug now!
• Don’t become an offender yourself. This kind of marketing behavior is not required for sustainable business success.

Joan

The telephone and coffee – tried and true marketing tools

There’s no doubt that connecting with people on the Internet is more effective than ever, and that Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn make it easier to build visibility with people you may never have met, and to connect with people you already know. There are people following me on Twitter that I don’t yet know, and Facebook is allowing me to connect with friends and family more regularly than I might otherwise now that I’ve moved 2500 miles from “home.”

However, all these new communication vehicles don’t replace good old fashioned  conversations and meetings to create meaningful connections with people who would be your clients or referral partners. As a matter of fact, in the virtual world in which we’re now operating, having an opportunity to meet someone you’ve only met on the phone, or through a social network connection, may be even more highly valued.

No matter how many tricks, tools and gadgets we create and employ, direct contact will win the day, hands down.

Consider this: Last week I noticed when someone inquiring about a class I run was calling from a Virginia area code. After we talked a little bit about the class, I asked her where she is in Virginia. Surprise, surprise! She’s not just in Northern Virginia, she’s just 2-3 miles away. Without hesitation, we set a coffee meeting for this coming Friday.

In the meantime, she signed up for my class. I have no doubt it’s because we made a personal connection.

An article in this month’s issue of American Express’ Fortune Small Business magazine points to the same thing. The article, “Making Twitter Work For You” by Jennifer Alsever, made the same point, though she may have missed it.

“One afternoon Drey spotted a Twitter post from a … customer who was having trouble…After exchanging a couple of tweets with him, Drey called the customer on the phone…The customer posted a tweet of happy surprise.”

Yes, picked up the phone.

If your on-line marketing efforts are not attracting clients it may because you have forgotten that it’s just one tactic, and does not tell the whole story. It’s a bit like spending tons of money sending out postcards and wondering why no one is calling. You must couple these Internet activities with activities that help you more quickly and directly get to know the people you want to do business with.

Who do you need to call?

Meditation and Intuition: Executive Tools for 21st Century Success

I’ve just finished reading an excellent book by Chin-Ning Chu, “Do Less, Achieve More,” one of my favorite topics. Whereas I was expecting more of a how-to book, as we normally see on this subject matter, I was delighted and surprised by Chu’s more spiritual and “being” approach to the topic.

The book is full of of content to remind us that we do not need to push hard and work our fingers to the bone to accomplish the big-picture goals in our businesses and lives. As a matter of fact, the more we’re in touch with our real, purpose driven desires, and the inner guide that we’ll find centered around our heart chakra (my words, not hers), the more likely we’ll enjoy success that comes from a peaceful, knowing place.

Her mention of research conducted through prestigious business schools, including the Harvard Business School and INSEAD (a well-known European business school in Paris) inspired me to write this post. Through their research they concluded that “the two most effective new business tools for twenty-first-century executives are meditation and intuition.”

Chu explains that “Meditation, the science of internal access, allows you to discover wisdom and information that you do not know you have. This is the state of natural knowing, commonly referred to as intuition.”

What cooler business tool could there be than that? If you want to experience more success, do less!

Note: some of what keeps us in the cycle of do, do, do, do, do, are desires that, ultimately, don’t fulfill us. They are the things we say we want that have more to do with survival than “thrival.” (No, that’s not a word, but you get what I mean.) They are the drives and desires revealed through continuous striving for things rather than fulfillment. That’s another blog entry entirely.

TimeDriver streamlines appointment requests

I’ve been using TimeDriver for several months now, and have found it a very useful tool to set appointments with prospective clients and periodic appointments with colleagues. As a matter of fact, I have only 1 complaint. I can’t use it to invite more than one person to a conference call.

Its number 1 time saving benefit is the virtual elimination of back and forth email exchanges to set an appointment, which is usually accompanied by the constant toggle between my email and calendar to figure out my availability. With TimeDriver, I only have to insert a TimeDriver link to set up an Ad Hoc meeting, or select one of my previously created appointment options.

Here’s How it Works

Using the Ad Hoc function, TimeDriver takes me to an Internet calendar on their server that shows my current appointments for the week. I may then name the length of time for the requested call, and simply click on time slots I want to make myself available for a pending conversation. If, by chance, 2 people ask to speak to me that week, I may select the same appointment slots, and not worry about double booking. Why? Because once a slot is taken it’s no longer available for the other person to choose from.

More cool benefits:

1. Once the person picks their time I receive an email notification message, which includes any comments or questions the other person has asked.

2. TimeDriver plunks the appointment into my Outlook calendar. (You guessed right. It syncs with Outlook to stay current on my booked appointments.)

Put marketing appointments in the hands of prospects

I mentioned I can create special appointments for different functions. I’ve created invitations and special appointment times for the most recurring prospect requests: 30-minute target market consultations, 45-minute coaching interviews, and20-minute follow-up appointments. These special appointment invitations include my photo, a message from me, specific questions I’d like answered, and my telephone number.

There are many different such solutions out there. TimeDriver gives you 90-day free trial (as of this writing) and costs $4.99/month. Great solution for the solo-professional committed to focusing on strengths and reducing time wasters.

Joan

Take back your time with “unsubscribe”

Did you notice how relatively fewer emails you received during the last 2 weeks of December than you usually receive? I sure did. It became particularly noticeable the first week back to work when every business owner was suddenly reengaged, sending email newsletters and notices I’d apparently subscribed to in a rush to get my attention that week.

By January 7th I’d had it! The sudden surge in the volume of emails unwittingly demanded my attention regardless of what I had planned. I could feel the drag on my forward movement. So, I decided to put a stop to it. I wrote a short list of the kinds of emails I receive, and then noted the ones that I’d want to continue to receive and those that I would not.

Here’s what my list looks like. What about yours?

Yes, I want to receive emails:

• From clients
• From participants in my programs
• From my business partners
• From prospects
• From people sincerely reaching out to make a connection
• From my coach
• From a very few organizations and people providing information currently of interest to me.

Here is my list of emails I do not want to receive.

• Social networking notifications
• Newsletters I never asked to subscribe to – very annoying!
• Most newsletters I had, at one time or another, subscribed too (too much noise and not enough actually read)
• Notifications and newsletters from organizations I no longer belong to
• Email news blasts from people who thought I might be interested in what they have to say

During the last week I have probably unsubscribed from about 20 newsletters. I’ve sent personal emails to people who have put me on a distribution list that didn’t offer an unsubscribe option and asked to be removed. If I unsubscribed from a newsletter published by someone I have a direct relationship with I also sent a personal email to explain my mission to reduce the incoming traffic.

Have I gone too far? I don’t think so. I know the people and organizations I’m interested in. I know how to find them on the Internet if I want to find out what’s going on, or to attend a meeting. I can log onto my LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter accounts if I want to review posts and updates. I can use bookmarks and folders to identify people and companies I want to follow, or check out again. I can probably even create some kind of home page with Yahoo or Google that includes a birds-eye view of what I’m most interested in. I haven’t explored that yet.

Feeling free!

Joan

Question about the 80/20 rule and delegation

M.O. – As I understand it the Pareto principle says that 20% of your efforts equals 80% off your results, so we should recognize and focus on the 20%, so doesn’t this mean that we should be creating our (Master) calendar around the 20% then delegates or eliminate the 80%

Joan. In short answer, yes. It almost seems counter intuitive, but the idea is to identify that 20% for you in your business, given your role, and strengths, and what has the greatest impact on current and future revenue. Steps 2, 3 and 4 are all about figuring out what the current 20% is.

Ideally, if you are spending 70-80% of your productive time on those activities where all three intersect you’ll do better in business, increase revenues and output, and have more fun. And, if it’s working very well and you’ve got systems and people in place to significantly reduce or eliminate those activities that don’t fit, you can also work fewer hours!

The solutions is “ideal,” and won’t happen over night. Today’s “answers” will be subject to modification, re-evaluation and adjustment as you change and your business changes. What may fit for you today, may very well not fit in a year. So, it’s not an equation that is absolute and definite for all time. I’m sure you can see that in your own business.

I don’t have an exact answer to your question about what percentage of your activities for the “departments” in your business. It depends on so many factors, which are guided by the following: your roles, your strengths, how marketing gets done, etc.

For example, if your primary role in the company is as business manager, then marketing may not be as much of a priority for you as internal training, review and staff motivation and feedback. However, if you have responsibility for just about everything in your business, including marketing and staff management, you have to figure out, based on what you determine in steps, 2, 3 and 4, how much time you need for each.

NOTE: M.O.’s question comes from the work she’s doing with The Master Calendar Solution, a workbook designed for the solo-entrepreneur, small business owner and department manager to get focused on your highest priority activities. Just click on Master Calendar to find out more.

Use MS Outlook signatures to create automated replies

When talking to my Virtual Assistant (VA) today about the topic for my next newsletter, how to automate marketing procedures, she told me about a new way to use Outlook signatures; at least it was new to me. I’ve known how to use them to create email signatures for my various business entities (I have 4) but it never occured to me that you could use signatures to create entire email templates.

Here’s how it goes. Think about the various email inquiries you receive on a regular basis, you know the ones that you have to reply to a lot, with very little variance to your words? Now imagine hitting reply, inserting one of your saved Outlook signatures and hitting send. That’s it. You’re done. You’ve been responsive, and it’s taken less than 5 minutes.

What if you have to personalize it a bit? You can do that. Take the same steps, modify and then send. It’s still much less time spent than it you started the same darn email from scratch every time, or looked for something similar in your Outlook folders.

Now, take it a step further. Let’s say that you receive inquiries to a new program, or to anything you might ask people to subscribe to or purchase or send questions about, including making an appointment with you. Wouldn’t it be great to have a reply all typed up in your Outlook signature with the link to the questions each prospect must answer, plus directions about how to make an appointment with you?

How to start:

1. Make a list of the most frequent inquiries you receive.
2. Commit to some schedule where you compose a template reply each day, or week, or whatever interval works best for you.
3. Compose a template reply to a type of email that you know you need to reply to and yet are the ones you dislike most (might as well get something off your plate you don’t love first and feel really good!)
4. Continue on until you’ve completed your list.
5. Experiment, have fun, add more.

Joan

Harvest can help you track time spent on projects

One of the biggest complaints I hear from people who charge clients, at least in part, based on time estimated for certain portions of a large project is that they continually underestimate the time they spend, and end up giving their time away. What might start off looking like a worthwhile project can turn into a nightmare you’d rather you said no to.

If you want to actually track the time you spend on projects so that you’re not going over the hours you’ve allotted for in exchange for payment received, check out Harvest. It’s an Internet based software solution through which you can use a timekeeper function to accurately track your time on a task for a client, and also see how much time you’ve got left in your projected hours. You can also use Harvest to create invoices based on your project records.

Here are a few other uses I things I think this kind of tracking function can be used for.

1. Use it to track how really spend your time during the day on the various aspects of running your business. Check your thinking out against reality
2. Coaches, who need to track hours for certification can use Harvest to track time with clients, exactly. This will be most convenient when you work by phone. Just click on the Harvest time widget for that client to start the clock, and click again when the call ends.
3. Use your records of prior projects to more accurately project time needed for future projects. Stop making it every time and discover your patterns.
4. Ask the member of your staff or subcontractors to use Harvest to sign in and out for the day, or to track their time helping with various projects too.

Further review of the Harvest website revealed that Harvest integrates with several popular platforms: Quickbooks (good for your bookkeeper and a time save for your) and Basecamp project management software, among others.

“Harvest is a service of Iridesco, a New York City-based web software company with big ideas. Founded in 2003 by designers Danny Wen and Shawn Liu, Iridesco has its roots as a creative agency.” It seems to me, they should know!

Pricing:

Singe users - solo entrepreneurs – can use Harvest for $12/month. Beware, there are limits to the number of projects you can track at this price.

Basic users – for up to 5 active users – $40/month

Business – starts at $90/month, up to 10 users

It might just be worth your time!

Joan

Higher Gas Prices Spur Business Evolution

There’s an old saying, necessity is the mother of invention. First we go kicking and screaming, then we start thinking. Higher travel costs (by land and by air) are causing many a larger and smaller company to re-think the way normal business gets done. You may prefer in-person meetings and globe trotting, but are there alternatives worth considering?

I’ve been leading tele-classes for 6 years (training classes that conducted completely by using a telephone conference bridge line). When I started leading classes it cost me $150/month to rent a bridge line, through which I could also record my classes, barely. It must have caught on because now I rent my my teleconference line at no cost and pay just $19.95 a month for my Audio Acrobat Services.

Many companies are using Webinar services (where you can talk on the phone, or through your computer’s microphone, and also see a Powerpoint presentation from the comfort of your office). Webcam’s and Skype make it possible to consult, coach and otherwise visit with people without getting in your car or on an airplane.

The idea of tele-commuting has been around for quite awhile. I was able to pony up to an employer’s main computer through a dial-up connection back in the mid-90’s. Yet, large companies still resist it for fear that their employees will goof-off, often losing valuable talent in the process. Perhaps more company leaders, pressured by rising prices for all, will start to embrace and develop new ways to work in the information age.

Joan

P.S. if you’re interested in building a virtual business, check out the 7-day Virtual Business Tele-Summit where I’ll be one of 11 presenters.